Once Upon A Dream
by ShadowKissedDreamer
Summary: Hermione is a girl of many mysteries. She keeps her lies close to her heart, and her secrets even closer. After the Golden Trio disbanded, she returned to Hogwarts to complete her Seventh year. Surprisingly, almost the entire Slytherin crew was back, including one Mr. Draco Malfoy. And just when it looked rough, she finds out more lies and secrets that even her heart can't handle.
1. Damn The Fates

**Okay. So, is there some rehab center where you can go for writing too much Dramione? If do, I need to jump on board with that..but anywhos. This is slightly different than what I've written before, so, don't hurt me if it's bad. Gomen, gomen. (That's Japanese for sorry.) I got the beginning from a manga called MYth. It's about Greek gods.**

**Full Summary: **_Hermione Granger is a girl of many mysteries. She keeps her lies close to her heart, and her secrets even closer. After the war was won, and the Golden Trio disbanded, she returned to Hogwarts to actually complete her Seventh year. To her surprise, almost the entire Slytherin crew was back, including one Mr. Draco Malfoy. And just when it looked rough enough, she finds out more lies and secrets that even _her _heart can't handle._

**I got the title from the song Lana del Rey recorded for Maleficent, "One Upon A Dream". If you want to know the meaning of why I did (because it'd be a long AN if I explained it) just shoot me a PM, or a review, and I'll tell ya!**

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter One.  
Damn The Fates.**_

_Finally. Time to return. _Hermione thought, yawning as she hopped out of bed. She had stayed in Harry's house with Ginny, instead of buying a flat. What was the point, if she was going to spend a year in a castle, anyways? The said girl rushed into Hermione's room with a grin on her face and a squeal that was heard from down the hall.

"What is it, Gin?" The brunette asked, uneasily.

"HARRY'S HERE!" Ginny screamed, pulling Hermione into a tight hug before letting go and giggling. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He had become an Auror, and had actually done missions worldwide. Him stopping in Godric's Hollow only two weeks after his mission had begun was odd. Hermione followed her friend to the kitchen and grinned as she spotted the raven hair of her big brother.

"'Mione! How've you been?" Harry asked, pulling her into a bear hug. Hermione laughed and squeezed out of his arms.

"I've been alright, Harry. Only been a few days since you Owled. We leave in an hour, though." The girl mused.

"I know. I was gonna bring you guys. Least I could do for my wonderful fiancee and sister." He replied. Hermione nodded and went to her room and showered. After giving herself and thorough scrubbing, she pulled some clothes from her closet and dressed. It consisted of a strapless peplum top in a deep shade of green, a pair of black skinny jeans, and some black ballet flats. She pulled a black blazer over it and grabbed her wand.

"Mobiliarbus." She muttered, quickly making her trunk float over to the front door before looking for the couple. She found them snuggled together on the couch.

"As much as I hate to break this up, we'll miss the train." Hermione said. The two smiled and they walked over to the front door. They grabbed their things and headed to the apparition point.

* * *

"DAMMNIT HARRY, HOW HARD IS IT TO APPARATE TO A SIMPLE SPOT IN A TRAIN STATION THAT YOU'VE BEEN TO ALMOST SEVEN TIMES EVERY YEAR!?" Ginny screamed as they passed through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Sorry, babe. Not my fault you were whispering-" Harry was cut off.

"That's enough!" Hermione stopped them. "I'm going now. Bye, Harry." She finished, giving Harry a hug. Before she could walk away, she heard a voice she dreaded.

"Look, it's Potty and the Weaslette!" The boy crowed.

"Oh my god, is that Granger?" A shrill voice called. Hermione turned on her heel to the voices and in the blink of eye, had her wand out.

"Petrificus Totalus! RictuSEMPRA! FURNUNCULUS!" She shot out. Draco was put into a body bind. Pansy was laughing like an idiot. Both were covered in boils. A train attendant quickly righted the situation and the first thing Draco did was grab Hermione by her wrist and pull her to him.

"No one, and I mean _no one_, gives me boils. You'll pay, you filthy _mudblood_!" He whispered harshly in her ear. She pushed him away and stumbled, tripping over Pansy's foot, and falling on her butt. Laughter erupted, and Hermione refrained from screaming when she saw who was trying to help her up.

"Luna!" The girl moaned. "Help." Was all she said. The blond girl smiled her wispy little smile and pulled her up with surprising force.

"Don't worry about them, 'Mione. They're just angry because _you made Head Girl and can give out detention to each of these gits!_" Luna announced. Everyone scattered, except the Dark Prince and his harlot.

"Ha! That's a lie. You can't be Head Girl." Pansy sneered.

"And why is that?" Hermione retorted.

"Because I made Head Boy. If you're Head Girl, that means," Draco huffed.

"We have to share a dorm? NO!" Hermione finished, levitating her trunk and speeding away.

_**-You'll Love Me At Once-**_

Hermione walked out of her compartment and headed to the Prefect's compartment. She'd have to go over the schedules with Malfoy. She'd pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and opened the door. Most students were there, and Draco had his arm draped over a few of the women.

"Malfoy. Can't you wait until we get to the castle, or did you just not get any during the summer?" She asked snarkily. Draco shot up and walked towards her, finger-pointing. She slid past him as she tripped him, making him fall out of the room. She flicked her hand and the door shut and locked.

"Now. As you can see, the Head Boy and Girl are from different houses, which is rare." Hermione looked down on the floor, seeing Draco's planning sheets. "For once, that Snake has managed to do something right. Even mixed the houses." She murmured. "Alright, as you can see, we have fewer prefects than we did before. That's because Minerva believes we can take care of the castle on our own. So, these are the assignments," Before she could say them, Draco had managed to get back into the compartment.

Hermione squealed as he pulled her out and slammed the door. The noise attracted the attention of others, and the poked their heads out to see the two Heads fighting.

"I swear to Merlin's mum, Granger, pull something like that again, and I'll personally Kedavra you myself." Draco growled.

"Like that's supposed to scare me? I've already got that damned scar from your aunt -thank God she's dead- I don't need another threat from a Malfoy." Hermione muttered. He raised his hand to strike her but she looked up at him with a hard gaze. "Go ahead, hit me! I'm of filthy blood, I need to know my place, right?" She asked. He faltered and she punched him in the chest. "_Well!?_" She cried. He settled for shoving her into the compartment door before storming off.

Hermione rolled her eyes before opening the door.

"Ginny Weasley and Pixie Malfoy, Ivan Hanes and Blaise Zabini, Christina Hathaway and Lavender Brown, and Pansy Parkinson and Xander Martin. Change these and I'll choke you to death. We'll talk more at the castle." She said before shutting the door and leaving.

* * *

Of course, they had to hang back and make sure everyone was off the train. Even if they were angry at each other, they were responsible. Draco waited outside as Hermione stepped out and tried to say something.

"No. Hush." She said, walking past him and to the carriages. She stood and patted the Thestral.

"You can see it?" He asked.

"Death Eaters gave me one last look at my parents before making them kill each other." She muttered, climbing into the carriage.

"My father murdered my mother.." Draco whispered. Hermione looked over at him to see if he was joking. She slowly reached over and gave him an awkward one-armed hug. A half-smile appeared on his face and he patted Hermione's head.

"Way to comfort a man, Granger." He muttered. "But like I was trying to say, I wanted to apologise for the horrible things Aunt Bella did to you. I thought she only tortured you.."

"Oh, if it was torture, that would've been better than what I got." Hermione finished as she pulled her blazer off. In the middle of her left arm, was a scar in the word 'Mudblood'. Draco grabbed her arm, prodding the skin around the scar.

"Granger.._Hermione_. Tell me she didn't do anything else." He mumbled.

"If it helps, I have asthma, depression and hip pains." She said with a shrug. Draco quickly pulled her into a hug and she laughed a bit.

_This might not be so bad, after all. _She thought. The carriage stopped and she pulled away, opening the door. To her surprise, Pansy jumped into Draco's lap, shoving Hermione out of the carriage. Landing on her hip, the Gryffindor let out a cry of pain before standing up and brushing her jeans off.

"Oh, shut up, you little tramp, dressing like that to get attention." Pansy muttered.

"Fifty points, Pansy." Draco said, pushing her away and climbing out of the carriage.

"Along with a detention." Hermione finished, as Pansy gaped at the two of them.

"But Drakey-!" "I don't know who Drakey is, but he sure as hell isn't me." Draco cut her off with a grin. "Just go, Pansy. You've done enough." He said. The black-haired girl harrumphed and sulked away.

Hermione took a step and immediately clutched her hip. Lifting her shirt, she saw an angry bruise starting to form. Before she could limp anymore, Draco held his arms out.

"Would you prefer me to carry you, or do you want to lean on me?" He asked cautiously. Hermione smiled and gladly let him carry her into the castle. Immediately, whispers and gasps could be heard. Draco made his way over to McGonagall and cleared his throat.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy! Why is Ms. Granger in your arms?" She asked the question that everyone wanted an answer to.

"See, Pansy pushed her out of the carriage, and she landed on her hip. She can't walk. Where are the Head Dorms?" Draco asked, arching one of his brows.

"Um, oh! The old Astronomy Tower. The a painting has not been made for it yet, so there's a door. Shall I have dinner sent up?" She questioned.

"No thank you, Professor. We can stop by the Kitchens on our way." Hermione replied as Draco walked off.

Thankful everyone was in the Great Hall, the pair headed to the kitchens. There, they were given an assortment of items on a cart. Hermione used a spell to make it follow them as they made their way to the Astronomy Tower.

"So, Hermione, tell me about your summer." Draco inquired.

"Well, I went to France with Ginny. And I finally cut my hair, as you can see. And I got two tattoos. So yeah. That was all." She said. The boy's eyebrows scrunched together. She had cut her hair, so its full length was shown. It layered down to her mid-back.

"_That's all_? What're the tattoos?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh, one's right here." Hermione said, showing him her right hand. On her pinkie was a tattoo that looked like a red string tied in a loose bow.

"The Red String of Fate, eh?" Draco asked. Hermione laughed with a grin as they made it to the tower. "Yup." Was all she replied with. Draco swung the door open and sat Hermione down gently on a loveseat. They were in a little common room, with two loveseats and two couches. There was also a fireplace. On the side was a kitchenette with a fridge and other small items. On one side of the room, there were two doors. One said 'Hermione' and the other said 'Draco'. Opposite that, on the other side of the room, there were three doors. Draco walked over to one and opened it. A bathroom. He opened the one next to it and saw a small storage room, or at least, that's what it looked like. In the third room, there was a small library like room. There were multiple shelves, with Wizard books, along with Muggle books. Draco pulled on out and glance at it, walking out of the room.

"Nicholas Flamel. Huh." He said, sitting the book down. He looked up, seeing Hermione already eating. He sat down and began eating with her, going back to their earlier conversation.

"So, what's this other tattoo?" He asked.

"It's on my side." She said, slowly sitting up and raising the left side of her shirt. Under her breasts, it said "Ad infinitum." A smile graced Draco's face as he poked it.

"To infinity? Where's the 'and beyond'? Haven't found it yet?" He asked. She gave him a slight nod and dropped her shirt, standing up slowly. She gave a loud yawn and looked down at Draco.

"I'm gonna shower and go to bed. Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Hermione." He responded.

"And thanks." Was all he heard before she left.

**Aha~! You don't understand how excited I am to get this off the ground. The beginning ties into a manga I read, and the sub-plot revolves around a movie I haven't finished yet. And..aah! It makes me so excited! Lots of secrets going on, though. I have all my notes and everything.**


	2. The Prince and the Princess

**Hehe. So, I started typing this up as soon as I typed up the previous chapter. I'm working on these for a week before posting them. And also, I forgot to say in the last chapter, I don't own Harry Potter, that belongs to JK Rowling. I only own the plot and any new characters I add. (Like Pixiana Malfoy!)**

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter Two.  
The Prince and the Princess.  
**Hermione's Point of View._

I woke up and immediately regretted it. I sat up and looked down at myself. I had an oversized t-shirt on, that managed to fall under my knees and still be tight. I couldn't put any pants on, as that bruise would scream if I did. I shrugged and realised it was almost seven in the morning. Breakfast wouldn't start until 8. And going back to sleep was out. I decided to just see if Madame Pomfrey was awake, and ask for some of George and Fred's bruise removal paste. I limped out of the room to the small fridge. I pulled the note that was on it down and arched a brow.

_Granger,_

_Minerva came in a while after you went to bed and told me the new updates about the school. All seventh years don't have to wear school robes, but must wear something related to their house. Though I'm pretty sure everyone knows that already. She suggested a tie, or a scarf. We also have arm bands to wear, to show everyone we're the Heads. They're on the coffee table._

_-Draco_

_Hm. No uniforms? I could do with that._ I thought, before writing my note and placing it next to his. I summoned a loose dress and some hi-tops. The dress was a crisp deep red with a collar. The shoes were the same colour. I put them on right there (seeing as there was no chance of Draco waking up now), and headed out. I greeted the paintings and sighed when I finally got there. I knocked before walking in and groaned. Of course she wasn't here. The only person up now would be..ugh. Snape. With a sigh, I headed to the Dungeons. I walked into the Potions classroom to find him brewing a potion. He looked up at me then back to the potion.

"Granger. To what do I owe the pleasure of this glorious seven a.m. meeting?" He sneered.

"I was wondering if you had any burn removal paste by any chance?" I asked.

"And why do you need it?" He replied.

"Parkinson pushed me out of a carriage and I landed on my hip. Of course, it won't get rid of the pain..." I trailed off.

"Well, I don't, but I _do _have to key to Poppy's medical supply. I trust you can make it there and back?" He asked.

"Of course, Professor." I said, as he handed me a key. I thanked him and went back to the hospital wing. I quickly opened the cabinet where she kept supplies and found the paste. I took some and put it in a vial, deciding to put it on when I got back. I quickly made it back to the dungeons and returned the key, slipping out of the dark classroom without another word. I walked back into the Astronomy Tower to see Draco reading.

"We really need to make a painting for that door. Somone'll walk in, eventually." I said. He simply laughed before looking up.

"What have you been up to?" He asked. I held up the vial of paste.

"I had to get some bruise removal paste. It'll still hurt, though." I said. He nodded and I went to my room to get ready. It had been almost an hour and a half, and it would take a while to set. I pulled the dress off and kicked my shoes away, digging through my closet. I settled on an oversized sweater that was deep red and had yellow polka dots. I was putting the bruise paste on when Draco walked in.

"Er, Hermione, just so you-" He was cut off because he looked up.

"Hm?" I asked, turning around. I realised I didn't have pants on, and dropped the hem of the sweater, thankful it was big.

"Um..um..er. Uh. Mcgonagall wanted me to uh, tell you that, um, we have to make a painting, like you said. Um. Yeah." He stuttered, before walking out of the room. (_AN: Isn't OOC Draco adorable?) _

I laughed and pulled my shorts on, that were high-waisted, and kind of helped with the pain. Looking down, I saw that the bruise had faded already. Sending my thanks to the Weasley twins, I pulled my hi-tops back on, grabbed my satchel, and left the room. I stopped, almost tripping on Draco, and turned around, heading back into the room and grabbing the ring that I almost forgot. It was a simple little thing. It had a thin gold band with a 5 karat diamond, and it had little wire ears on top to look like a bunny. It was adorable, and I still don't remember where I got it from.

"You ready, Draco?" I asked, leaving the room. He nodded and we headed out. He stopped me and handed me the Head Girl badge. I thanked him and put it on my arm, and sliding it up to my upper arm, under my shoulder. Draco laughed and I turned to him.

"You look all serious, but I know how you are, and you're nervous." He said. I scoffed at him.

"Draco!" I huffed, as we entered the Great Hall. "How dare you?" I huffed at him. He grinned at me, tweaking my nose as I headed to my table. I blushed, sitting between Ginny and..

"Ron!?" I said, confused.

"Wotcher, 'Mione." He said with a grin.

"You're back? Is Harry coming back?" I asked, standing and looking for him. I saw him roll his eyes and sit me down. I huffed again and turned to him. "Well? Is he?"

He grinned, like he was trying to be wise. "Maybe, maybe not." Was all he said.

"Listen here, you prat, tell me right now, is my fiancé coming back, YES OR NO!?" Ginny asked, yelling the last part. All heads turned and I stood up and pushed Ginny down.

"Shall I dock points!?" I heard Draco call. I looked up with a laugh.

"No need. Gin is just worried about her dearest!" I yelled back. He gave me a thumbs up and I sat back down.

"Since when did you and that snake become friends?" Ron sneered.

"Ever since we had to share the Head dorms?" I said quizzically. Ron choked on his pumpkin juice and I raised a brow. As I stood, a small girl ran in, eyes searching frantically. Her eyes found mine and she grinned.

"'Mione!" She squealed. I walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Pixie!" Pixie Malfoy. This tiny little seventh year was Draco's twin sister. She looked just like him, except she had her mother's blue eyes and her aunt's dark hair. Pixie giggled as Draco walked up to us. She gave him a hug and a kiss before bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Guess what, guys?" She asked, clapping her hands.

"What is it, Pixiana?" Draco asked right back.

"We've an Auror here~!" She cried.

"An Auror? Harry!" I squealed, rushing past the twins and into the Entrance Hall. There, in the middle of a mass of students, was Harry. The Malfoys were right behind me in parting the crowds. "Move! Move!" I yelled. No one budged. "Move or you all get detentions!" I yelled. They parted. I skipped over to him with a grin. He smiled and gave me a hug, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You guys deserted me, so I decided to just tag along." He said. I chuckled and turned around, seeing Ginny fly out of the Great Hall. She ran and jumped into Harry's awaiting arms.

"Aw, Kodak moment." Was Draco's sarcastic reply. As if on cue, someone nearby snapped a photo. I laughed as they just stood there, hugging. "But you guys, you might wanna pick this up in the common room. You need to eat." He said, returning to his breakfast. I was about to leave when I remembered the owls. I walked back in just as a stack of envelopes fell onto my head. I looked up to see two different owls fly away from me. One was from Molly, and the other one was a Hogwarts owl. I opened Molly's first.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you're having a great year! Ginny told me on your accomplishment of getting Head Girl, congratulations! I'm sure by now that you've found Harry and Ron back at the school. Also, can you give this copy of Witch Weekly to Ginny?_

_Lots of love,_  
_Molly Weasley._

I stuck the parchment back in its envelope, took the magazine out, then opened the second one. The wax seal said 'HOZ', someone I'd never heard of. The letter was written in spiderweb like script, and smelled faintly of perfume.

_To Madame Granger,_

_This letter is about to change your life. Don't say it won't, because it changed mine. When I widowed my first husband, I had sired a baby girl. Then, she was stolen and I was obliviated when she was five. The papers and memories have been returned to me. The next letter is from your big brother, along with the papers that confirm what I already know._

_You are my daughter. __Now, before you go on a rampage trying to figure out who we are, I'm going to tell you some important details._

_1\. We are a pureblood family. In turn, you and your big brother are purebloods.  
2\. You know your big brother. I don't know if you're best friends, but you know each other.  
3\. He's a Slytherin._

_Now, if you don't want the pressures of being in this predicament, you can burn this letter, and you'll find out when you turn eighteen. Now, if you want to find out who we are, your brother's letter gives you a clue._

_From Mother,  
With love._

I stumbled back and braced myself on a wall, reading the letter once more. What? No! This wasn't true. It wasn't! I'd know if I were obliviated!

_No you wouldn't, you stupid girl. _That nagging voice in my head said. I turned around and grabbed the first person I saw with a satchel, and dragged them up to the Owlery.

* * *

I turned around to find Draco.

"Oh, thank Merlin it was you. Gin would've hexed someone and those two dunderheads would have pestered me." I said. He gave me a quizzical look.

"Give me a quill and a piece of parchment, while you read over this." I said, peeling the wax seal off of the letter and handing it to him, as he gave me what I needed. I sat on the floor and wrote messily.

_Dear mum and dad,_

_I just got an owl telling me that I was adopted. That I'm not even muggle-born! Tell me this isn't true. It can't be true! You'd tell me, wouldn't you?_

_-Hermione_

I folded it in half and beckoned my owl, Thorne, and tied the letter to her leg. "Send it to mum and dad, and don't leave until you get a response." I said. She nodded and flew off. I turned round to see Draco staring at me incredulously.

"You know I have to hex anyone who calls you a mudblood now, right?" He said. I arched a brow and he grinned. "Just looking out for a fellow royal." He said.

"Royal?"

"The prince and princess have to stick together." Was all he said, before handing the letter back to me. "Open the other one." He said. I peeled the wax off of this one, and pulled the letter out. I read it out loud.

_Dear Hermione,_

_If you opened this letter first, it'll make no sense to you, so read the other one you got with this letter. If you didn't, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. So, my mum told you about..you. Now, if I know you, you're probably going to head to the library and figure out anything you can. Which won't work. At all. All I can do is give you this file that was given to my mother. It's proof of your adoption._

_With some love,  
The Finest Place in England._

"What? The finest place in England? What the bloody hell does that mean!?" I shrieked, finishing the letter. The document fluttered out and I quickly grabbed it. I groaned in frustration."

"Ooh, it's true! It's legitimate. Except it has my birth mother's name, my birth father's name, and my real surname scratched out." I whined, giving the paper to Draco.

"Hey, you think we can ask Dumbledore to let us go this weekend?" He asked. I shrugged and stood up. "Where're you off to?" He asked.

"Where I always go. The library. But first, let's go talk to Dumbledore." I said.

* * *

We walked up to the stairwell, a grim look set on both of our faces.

"_Familiae_. Huh. How ironic." Draco said. I rolled my eyes as we walked down the stairs. Dumbledore looked up from his desk in confusion.

"Did I have an appointment with you two?" He asked.

"No sir, but we needed to talk to you urgently. It has to do with Hermione's bloodline." Draco said. The headmaster's eyebrows rose as we walked up to him and gave him the two letters and the document. He looked over them before looking up at me with sad eyes.

"Unfortunately Ms. Granger, I know who this person is, and I've been notified before hand. But I am not allowed to interfere in any way." He said.

"So it's a powerful pureblood family!" I said, clapping.

"What pureblood family isn't powerful?" Draco asked.

"Let's see. Weasley. Prince. Brown. Longbottom. Macmillan. Prewett. Slughorn. Potter..." I trailed off.

"Okay, enough." Was all he said. I smiled and turned back to Dumbledore. He simply shrugged before handing the papers back to me.

"It is out of my hands, Ms. Granger. But here, you can go visit the adoption center on your next break." He said.

"But professor! That's in three months!" I exclaimed. He shrugged again and I sighed.

"Thank you, professor. Do you need anything while I'm here?" I asked.

"Oh, we're hosting a Hallowe'en ball, tell your friends. I'll tell all at dinner. Goodbye, you two."

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a drone. I don't even remember what classes I had today. I left my last class (which was Potions) and walked into the dorm, finding Draco in the process of taking a shower. I walked over to the bathroom door and banged on it.

"Oi, Malfoy! Hurry up, because we need to have a meeting to figure out the Prefects' schedules." I yelled, then went to my room. I changed from my sweater to a plain black shirt and pulled on a pair of black sandals. It was starting to get chilly, so I had to make sure I stocked up on clothes. When I finished, Draco was dressed in a black v-neck shirt, a pair of jeans and some black trainers. He was in the process of drying his hair when he turned around. He wrapped the towel around his hand and snapped it at me. I squealed before running away, and with a grin, he followed me. By the time we got to the Great Hall, my hair was mussed and we were both out of breath.

"I'm going to kill you!" I yelped, rubbing my butt. He grinned as he opened the heavy oak door.

"D'you want a kiss, Granger?" He asked, making faces.

"No, not from you, you insufferable prick!" I whined, ignoring all the gaping people.

"You say that now, Granger.." He trailed off, taking my chin in his hand. "But what about in a month?" He said.

"A month? That's the dance. What do you-wait. You're not asking me to this stupid ball, are you?" I asked, aghast.

"Of course I am. The prince and the princess. And besides, you need to be exposed to new things." He replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I'll just go with Ron." I mumbled. Draco shook his head and pointed. Ron was being devoured by Lavender Brown, and he was enjoying it. I shuddered and shimmied out of his grip. "Then I won't go!" I said defiantly.

"Oh, you're definitely going. No ifs, ands, or buts." He said, turning to the suddenly quiet Hall. "Okay, Prefects! After dinner, meet us outside so we can have a meeting!" He called, and with a nod, he walked away.

"Attention, attention. Instead of a Hallowe'en feast, we will be having a Masquerade Ball, for fifth years and up. For the younger students, we will be having a movie marathon, thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Malfoy. During the Hogsmeade trip this weekend, the older students are allowed to floo, or apparate, to Diagon Alley. Only seventh years can apparate elsewhere, but must be back before curfew. That is all."

_**-You'll Love Me At Once-**_

"Hurry up, Pixiana! You're so damn slow!" Draco called with a grin. Pixie pouted as she caught up with the group of prefects. Some sniggered, but she pulled out the siguinature Malfoy-Black glare, and they all withered. With a laugh, she skipped up to Draco and I.

"So, Drakey, who're you going to the ball with?" She asked.

"Granger." He simply said, shooting a grin at me.

"Don't you think we should be on a first name basis?" I whined. He just barked out a laugh as we made it to the Room of Requirement. I walked past it three times, and it appeared. In it were ten chairs, arranged in a rectangle, each either blue, green, yellow, or red. Two of the chairs, green and red, were bigger and puffier. Draco and I sat in them while everyone else settled.

"Alright. The pairings are as they were before; Gin and Pixie, Ivan and Blaise, Candy and Lavender, Pansy and Xander, then Draco and I. He'll deal with the schedules." I said, curling my feet under me and tuning him out while they started chatting. I looked over the prefects, who had been at this school for the same length of time as me, but I'd barely noticed.

Xander Martin and Christina Hathaway were both Hufflepuffs. Xander was lanky, with square glasses and warm toned skin. He had shaggy brown hair, much like Harry's, and brown eyes. Christina had red hair that she dyed with Henna. Her natural colour was a mousy brown. She had pale skin and grey eyes. She was short, so I was taller than she was. I called her 'fun-sized', which generated the nickname Candy.

Pixie and her housemate, Ivan Hanes, were both Ravenclaws. Pixie and Candy were the same height, but belive it or not, Pixiana was much more mature. Her hair trailed down her back, all the way down to her lower back. Ivan, however, was dark-skinned with black hair and brown eyes. He was a bit taller than Pixie, challenging Draco for tallest student.

I tuned in when I heard my name come up. "...Hermione are going to the ball? Together!?" I heard Gin squeal. I blinked at looked at her with confusion. She giggled and patted my knee.

"It's alright, 'Mione. Just gossiping about you. What's this I hear about your little date? And I wasn't told?" Ginny asked.

"Calm down, Ginevra Molly. He asked me on the way here. Now come along doll, we need to plan." I simply said, standing up and dragging Ginny outside with me.

**I'm trying to make all the chapters equal length, but this one's a little longer. The last one was 2,600, this one was 3,400. So, eh.**


	3. Revelations

**ohmygosh. An update? What? Sorry though, I've been very busy. Also, for the sake of this fic, Hermione is the same age as everyone else. If it were canonized, Hermione would be turning 19, since she's a year ahead of everyone. So, let's just say she turned seventeen. So, without further ado, chapter three!**

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter Three.  
**__**Revelations. **__Draco's Point of View_

As I stood up and stretched, I watched the prefects head out of the room of requirement. I followed them out and scanned the hallways for Hermione. She had dragged the weaslette out of the room, claiming they needed to 'plan'. With a shrug, I wandered around before heading back to the Heads' dorms, thinking I could find her there. Opening the door, I found someone I didn't expect, though.

"Blaise? What're you doing here?" I asked, looking at the books strewn about him with a chuckle. He looked up with a confused look on his face and shrugged.

"I came in and it was like this. Though I'm pretty sure Hermione's in your room. Listen." He said, before turning to the door. "Draco, mate, c'mon out!" He called.

"Not now, you prat! I'm in the middle of something!" The voice sounded exactly like mine. And I knew for a fact that I was the only person this witch called a prat. With an arched brow, I knocked again, and the door opened, a furious copy of me appearing before my eyes.

"Well then," I crowed, a smirk gracing my face. "Never thought I'd see the day that Hermione Granger was in my room. And of her own will." The girl-turned-boy spluttered at me and then punched me in the jaw. I watched as she changed from me to Hermione. Luckily, she was wearing a simple pair of sweatpants and an oversized emerald green shirt, so she didn't look out of place when she changed back. With an uneasy chuckle, she looked up and Blaise and waved. He waved back with a smirk.

"Why, hullo there, Malfoy." She said with a grin.

"What're you doing in my room, Granger?" I asked, leaning on the door-frame, opposite her.

"I panicked when I heard someone messing with the door. I took the potion and was gunna intimidate them. Then I saw it was Blaise, and he would ask questions." Hermione said sheepishly, ducking her head. I arched a brow.

"Questions? About what?" I asked again.

"More like, about who." Came a voice from Hermione's room. The Weasel himself walked out with a grin and laughed at Hermione. Oddly, he had on girls' robes.

"Shut up, Gin! I'm not the one who turned into her own brother!" Hermione snapped. With an eye twitch, Ginny-turned-Ron lunged at Hermione.

"Why you little-" As she jumped, Blaise quickly grabbed her from behind. Hermione lunged as well, and I wrapped my arms around her, clamping her arms down to her sides. All of our heads turned as Potty and the real Weasel walked in, their faces going from calm to angry in 3.5 seconds. Fortunately, Ginny had turned back into herself, as well.

"Get your greasy mitts off of my sister!" Harry and Ron screamed at the same time. They lifted their wands and with surprising force, Hermione pushed me behind her, catching a Jelly Legs Jinx. I held her up as she angrily turned to the Weasel.

"Ronald!" She yelled, before going down again. This time, I helped her sit on the arm of one of the loveseats. "Where do you get of barging into my living quarters!? Let alone trying to jinx one of the Heads!?" She asked, incredulous. Ronald's face when from the colour of a strawberry, to a beet.

"'One of the heads'!? 'One of the heads'!? He's not a Head, you insane little girl! Mcgonagall told me there were no heads, no prefects whatsoever. If there were, I'd be one!" He replied, spittle flying from his mouth. Hermione laughed and shot up, her finger in his face.

"She only told you that because you, a little twit, would just whine because you weren't chosen for anything. We all know you're too damn IMMATURE TO BE A PREFECT, LET ALONE HEAD BOY!" Her voice started out calm, then it rose an octave. Angrily, Ginny broke free of Blaise's grip and pushed Hermione away, standing in front of her brother. Again, Hermione laughed, but this time, it came out cold and bitter.

"You're siding with your twit of a brother, okay. It's not like he tried to hex me. No, that was my imagination." She said sarcastically. Angry Hermione was a little scary. Almost as scary as Snape on one of his bad days. "Get out! All of you! And Ronald, you have a week's worth of detention, for jinxing the Head Girl." She said slowly. The three Gryffindors rushed out and Hermione slowly turned around. She looked down at the books and parchment pieces and mumbled something. She raised her hand and using her wand, directed the books and papers to the small room with all the books. Afterwards, she fell onto the sofa and pouted.

"Well, I'm going to head down, as I didn't eat much. Are you two coming along?" I said, heading to the door. Blaise followed and Hermione slowly stood up. With a sigh, I pulled my wand out and turned it towards her. Her eyes widened and I laughed.

"Now, stop moping over some pathetic little fight with Weasley and Potty, or I will hit you with a Cheering Charm." I said.

"You wouldn't!" She gasped.

I sent the charm her way and she instantly elated. With a smile and a giggle, she ran towards me.

"Oh, Malfoy, I swear, when this is over, I will Avada Kedavra you into first year~!" She said sweetly.

"Okay with me, Granger. As long as you don't whine." I said simply, taking her by the arm and pushing her out of the door, with Blaise following us. "So, when are we making this painting?" I continued.

"I don't know, Malfoy, but my face hurts!" She complained with a huge grin. She looked like she was trying to stop, but a small smile was always on her face. "We can try the next break in between classes. What's today?" She asked.

"I dunno, but I have a break tomorrow between studying for these damn tests - I don't even see the need for classes anymore. Just let me study." I muttered.

"Malfoy!" Hermione gasped, appalled. "You need classes!"

"When was the last time you learned something new in class?" Blaise chipped in with a knowing smile.

"...shut up." Was all she said, stomping to the Great Hall. We laughed behind her as she walked into the vast room. We were still laughing when she sat down at her table, and I shot her a grin. She looked around before putting a grape on her spoon and successfully hitting Blaise in the eye. I had to clap a hand over my mouth to shut myself up.

* * *

_Hermione's Point of View._

"Hermione, what's going on with you and Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"He's being a prick, as usual. He told me classes weren't needed!" I said with a gasp.

"Oh wow, that's so _bad_." Ron said sarcastically.

"Well, he may be right, 'Mione. When was the last time you learned someting new in class?" Harry urged.

"He asked me the same question, and I couldn't answer it. When was the last time _you _learned something new in class?" I asked, turning to Harry.

"Yesterday. Everlasting Elixirs." He replied simply. I huffed and stood up with a pout.

"I'm not hungry. I never am anymore, really.." I said more to myself than them.

"Leaving so soon, 'Mione? Here, take this with ya." Ginny said, arriving at the table. She handed me a note and a napkin with some Bertie Bott's beans. I looked at her quizzically and made my way to the doorway. I was soon joined by Luna, who stopped me by grabbing my shirt.

"Wait, Hermione!" She said, before giving me a hug. She grinned at me before skipping back to her table. I shook my head as I made my way to the Headmaster's office. He had told me that there was some excess canvas in there, and I could go grab it at anytime. I muttered the password and made my way in. I popped one of my candies in my mouth as I reached for the roll of canvas and cursed. Soap.

"Language, young lady." A voice came from behind me. I immediatley turned to the painting of Severus Snape.

"If your mouth was filled with the taste of a very bad soap, your mouth, I'm sure you'd swear too, Snape." I replied, slicing the canvas with my wand. He only gave me a light chuckle.

"What do you plan on painting?" He asked.

"I don't know yet. You should give me an idea. I cannot sit in a room with Draco, _brainstorming_." I replied with a mock shudder.

"Granger, hurry up! And who're you talking to!?" I heard Draco's voice as he came into the room. I turned to him and he glanced up at Snape's portrait.

"Don't rush me, Draco Malfoy." I muttered. I pulled out my wand to cut the canvas, and turned when I heard a rustle of paper behind me.

"Sorry for being a right prick, earlier. Also, might want to keep your flirting on the down low, 'Mione. Love, Gin." Draco said. I blushed and reached for the note Ginny gave me. He grinned and raised it above his head.

"Oh my Merlin, just give it to me! Now!" I groaned.

"Why Granger, I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth!" He said in a sly voice._  
_

"I WILL REMOVE YOUR MANHOOD AND CRUCIO YOU IN A HEARTBEAT IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME THE DAMN NOTE!" I screamed. He visibly paled before slowly handing me the note. I turned around and cut a nice size of canvas and threw it at him. I didn't bother waiting for him to follow me as I stomped out. We'd almost made it to the Dorm when he caught up.

"Look, Granger, we need to have a talk." He said.

"A talk about what?" I asked. _Pfft. You know about what, you idiot. _Some small voice in my head really needed to leave.

"About that little incident with the letter." He replied.

"I can't do anything about that. I'll research that damned letter for the next year if I have to." I muttered, opening the door to the Dorm and closing it behind him.

"Okay, okay. Now, what're we going to paint - wait, _can _you paint?" He asked me.

"Can _you_?" I retorted.

"Of course I can, Granger. So, can you?" He asked.

"Yes, Malfoy, I can. I learned when I was younger, during the summers." I replied.

"Ideas?" He asked.

"I dunno! Merlin!" I huffed, crossing my arms. With a grin, he grabbed my cheek and pinched it. A knock came from the door and it swung open before either one of us could answer it. Behind it stood two groups. Blaise and Pansy on one side, and Harry, Ron and Ginny on the other.

"We need to talk, 'Mione!" Ginny complained.

"No, no, us prefects need to have a conference with the Heads." Blaise said.

"What is it, Blaise?" Draco asked, as I swatted his hand from my face.

"They've kidnapped two children out here, 'Mione!" Ron insisted. I rushed ahead, but Draco grabbed my arm before I could get to the door.

"Actually, I walked into the hallway, and this little lion was beating the crap out of a Slytherin." Pansy explained, motioning us to come outside. I pulled my arm out of Draco's hand and walked outside. I shook my head as I saw the two third years. The Gryffindor, Margeaux Allen, was actually a huge bully. worse than any Slytherin I'd ever encountered. Well...not worse than Draco. She was the average height of a thirteen-year-old, but she scared the living hell out of many older students. She had long red hair and bright green eyes. I didn't know who the Slytherin was, though. She was also average height, and had strawberry blond hair that stopped at her shoulders, and her eyes were a light brown.

"Aw, Angie, what happened?" Draco asked, kneeling next to the thirteen-year-old.

"_Nothing_!" The girl shot back fiercely, blinking rapidly. Her eye was becoming a slightly blue colour, and her lip and nose were bleeding a little. I kneeled next to them and looked at the girl.

"Hey. How about I give you something so you can get rid of that annoying black eye and all that blood. You cool with that?" I asked with a smile. Angie slowly nodded and I motioned for her to follow me into the Dorm.

"Now, Allen, tell me what happened. Why the hell were you jumping another student!?" I heard Draco's voice raise as we entered my room.

"You can sit on the bed or look around. It'll take me five minutes to get everything." I said. She picked up a set of my UNO cards and began to build a tower with them. I looked through my drawers and found the bruise removal paste. I sat it on the dresser and headed out to the Dorm's entrance. I opened the door and kind of let out a small noise to stop them from talking.

"Yes, Granger?" Draco asked.

"I need to know where you put the Skiving Snackboxes I sat in the kitchenette." I said.

"They should still be there. If not, check my room. Or the bookshelves...maybe the bathroom? Or-" I had to cut him off.

"Oh my God. Really, Malfoy!?" I sighed. I propped the door open with a stack of nearby books and looked around. I grinned as I found the Skiving Snackboxes on the counter in the kitchenette. I pulled out a Nosebleed Nougat from one of them and headed to the bathroom. I grabbed a small towel and wet it a bit. When I walked into my room, I found Angie now building a card tower with Exploding Snap cards. I felt my eyes widen as I smacked down the tower and it collapsed, exploding on the way down. The girl looked up at me with a sneer.

"I'm sorry! It's just, the last time I saw someone do that, they singed their eyebrows off. And I'm sure you enjoy your eyebrows. Now here, eat this." I said, breaking the candy in half and giving her the piece that would stop her nose from bleeding. She chewed it silently as I spread some of the bruise removal paste on her eye. It began working immediatley. I used the towel and wiped the blood off of her lip and muttered a spell to stitch the skin back together.

"Alright, all done. Let's go see what progress Malfoy's made." I said, and I followed her out. We found Draco restraining Margeaux as she tried to shoot hexes at every person in sight. She caught sight of Angie, and that seemed the fuel her rage even more. I took my wand out and stared her straight in the eye as I petrified her. Draco turned and saw me, then let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank Merlin for you, Granger. She stole my wand!" He whined. I chuckled and propped a hand on my hip.

"So, has she spoken?" I asked.

"Apparently, Angie stole a book from Margeaux?" He questioned.

"I did not!" Angie cried.

"Well then, what happened?" I asked.

"My sister, Camille, stole that little bully's book. She was sick of Margeaux getting under everyone's skin. Cam was using the book to lure her to the Ravenclaw towers, where she could safely jump the little twit." Angie explained. I had seen her older sister, a fifth year, around.

"But why would she jump you instead of your sister?" Draco asked. I rolled my eyes and let out a scoff.

"Malfoy, have you seen Camille? The two are almost identical, except Angie's eyes are brown. Camille's are blue. If Margeux saw Angie from the back, she could have thought she was Camille." I stated, and he nodded slowly. I turned to the petrified girl on the group and uttered the counter-spell. She shot up but I pointed my wand at her forehead.

"Margeaux Allen. You are a disgrace to your house. We do not _jump _people because they stole our books. Or decided that your favourite quidditch team sucks. You will have a week's worth of detention and fifty house points deducted. If I catch you hitting another student, you'll have a month's worth of detention and you'll be banned from the next trip to Hogsmeade. Am I clear?" I said.

"...yes." Was all she muttered. I put my wand down and she glared at Angie before stomping away. I turned around and shot a grin at the group of Slytherins before turning to my friends.

"What is it you needed? We needed to have a talk?" I asked.

"Yeah. A talk about this." Ginny said, holding up a letter that had my name on it. I reached for it but she backed up. I arched a brow at her with a frown.

"Ginny, what's the letter?" I asked.

"It's from your mum." She stated.

_"Which one." _I heard Malfoy mutter behind me, but I guess only I heard him. I stomped on his foot and lunged forward, succesfully grabbing the letter.

"Why d'you have it?" I asked her.

"It was somehow sent by muggle post." She replied. I laughed and shook my head. Leave it up to mum to figure out how to send muggle post to Hogwarts. I saw it was opened and glared at the redhead.

"Which one of you opened it?" I asked. There was no response. "WHO!?"

"It was me, 'Mione. I get why you were asking me about this whole 'place in England' thing now. Why would you hide this from me!?" Ginny cried.

"Because it's none of your business! It's not like I ask you to tell me every single thing going on in your life. So don't even act like you haven't hidden anything from me." I replied with a glare. She paled and I turned around to meet Draco's confused eyes.

"Who's the letter from?" He asked.

"My mum. As in, the muggle one." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Are you telling me you told Malfoy before we found out!?" Ron whined.

"Yes, Ron, Malfoy found out because he was _there _when I got the letter. Besides, he's a pureblood. He might recognise the handwriting of this woman who's calling herself my mother." I said. I opened the letter and did a quick scan of it.

"'Mione, I know it's hard-" Ginny started.

"Oh, stop. Just stop. You can't know how hard this is, firsthand. This woman basically sent a man to _kidnap _me. She called herself my mother for almost thirteen years! What if you found out that Molly stole you from your family and that you were actually an, I dunno, a freaking _Parkinson_!" I hissed. Angrily, I turned away and walked back into the dorm. I heard the door shut behind me and turned around to see Draco leaning on it, his arms crossed.

"Well, are you going to read it?" He asked. I glared at him and pulled the letter out of the envelope.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I know you don't want to hear this through a letter, but yes, what you were told is true. I believed the family you were born to was involved with the Dark Lord in some way, and I felt I needed to get you away from them. So, I contacted a few trusted friends and they managed to get you into an orphanage. I then called in a favor to make sure that your father and I were the ones who adopted you. In all honesty, I had known about magic before you were born. I am so sorry that you had to find out this way, or that you even had to find out at all. Even if you aren't my blood daughter, I still love you as much as I did before you found out._

_Love, mum._

"She just told me everything, and ends this damned letter with 'love, mum'! How dare she?" I grimaced as I sat down on the couch and tossed the letter somewhere on the floor. Draco walked over to me and picked it up. He scanned it and gave a soulless chuckle.

"She sounds like a squib. And contacts? That's really shady, Granger." He said. I gave him a look and just shook my head.

"I just don't know. I don't. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Malfoy." I muttered, before heading to my room, falling into bed and dreaming of nothing.

**Nang nang nang nang. I _was _going to continue this, but I think it was best to chop it in half. Until next time!**


	4. Field Trips

**I think updates are going to become more frequent now, since (ironically) I have lots of free time right before school starts. So, here we are. **

_**Once Upon A Dream, Chapter Four.  
**__**Field Trips****.**_

Days and weeks went by since Hermione and her friends fought. They didn't try to talk to her and she didn't try to talk to them. She drifted away from the Gryffindor crowd and hung out with the Slytherins more often than usual. She and Draco spent more time together, though no one apart from their small group of people knew why.

* * *

_Hermione's Point of View._

"Wake up." I heard someone mutter. They shook my shoulder and I smacked it away.

"Granger, wake up! Your unruly hair really expands." Draco murmured. I cracked an eye open and saw him looking down at me. I grinned at him and he snorted.

"Oh, don't make those noises, Malfoy. It doesn't suit you." I said, sitting up. Which caused all of my books and notes to fall off the sofa and onto the floor. I stood up and used my wand to stack the mess up into a pile on the table.

"How long were we up last night?" I asked with a small groan. We had been researching more things about the letters, and had found absolutely nothing.

"Ah, you fell asleep around one, maybe one thirty in the morning? I fell asleep about an hour after that." He replied. I stood up and stretched, walking around and picking up some scattered papers and books. I glanced at the calendar on the wall and a smile came to my face.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked me.

"Oh, nothing much. Just that it's Halloween and we go to Hogsmeade today." I said. A light chuckle came from him as I let out a small squeal.

"You get over excited, Granger." He commented.

"I do _not_!" I scoffed. He glanced over at me with that smug look of his and I threw a very heavy book at him. He caught it deftly with both hands and rolled his eyes.

"You do, Granger. I'm going to shower so we can get down to breakfast." He replied, making his way into the bathroom.

"Can you not leave all your hair products all over the bathroom this time!?" I called as he shut the door and the dorm's door opened.

"Wow. You think he's actually listening to you, _lucciola_?" Blaise asked, walking in.

"Oh, Blaise, stop with that ridiculous nickname. It's Mia!" Daphne Greengrass said, following him and smacking him on the shoulder. She was a part of one of the few pureblood families who were fine with muggle borns and half-bloods. I had made good friends with her and he sister, Astoria.

"Hi Blaise, Nina." I said. "Unfortunately, you couldn't have come at a worst time." I finished.

"Cleaning this train wreck up, Mia?" Daphne asked.

"You're researching pretty hard nowadays, eh?" Blaise asked. I rolled my eyes at him and picked up my duvet. I folded it and walked into my room, the duo following me.

"You heading down to breakfast?" Daphne asked.

"I will as soon as Malfoy gets out of the shower. Hopefully he won't take long." I said, placing the duvet down on the bed and rifling through my drawers for something to wear. It was a slightly warm fall, and it had rained a lot. I pulled out a tank top, a large green sweatshirt, some black skinny jeans and a pair of black boots. Daphne and Astoria had owled their mother as soon a they'd seen my old wardrobe and had Slytherin-ized me. I walked out of the room with my shadows behind me and banged on the bathroom door.

"I'm out, Granger, I'm out!" Draco yelled, opening the door, a towel hanging loosley from his hips and his hair dripping.

"I swear, if I have to see your naked chest _one more time_, Draco Malfoy, I will super glue a shirt to you!" I groaned, shoving him aside and stomping into the room. I kicked the door shut and turned the water on. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and ran a brush through my wet hair. I turned to look for my clothes, and realised they were sitting on the couch.

"Nina?" I asked, poking my head out of the bathroom. Draco was sitting next to her with a mischievous grin on his face, my clothes in his hand.

"I'm sorry, _lucciola_, he got to them before we did." Blaise said.

"Those nicknames are so stupid! Give her something unique, like Mina." Draco said.

"Uh-huh. You can discuss my nicknames when I'm not naked and waiting for a certain blond to bring me my clothes!" I hissed. Said arrogant man swaggered over to me and held my clothes a foot away from me.

"Come out, come out, Mina." He said.

"No." I stated.

"Guess you're not getting these." He replied. I groaned before grabbing my towel and wrapping it tightly around myself. I stepped out of the bathroom and snatched my clothes from him and let out a snort.

"What was the point of this, Malfoy?" I asked, opening the door again.

"Just embarrassing you is enough, Mina." Draco said, walking back to the couch and sitting on Daphne.

"Bloody hell, Draco! Get your fat arse off me!" She screamed.

* * *

Walking into breakfast that morning, I didn't expect to be ambushed by tons of underclassmen. But that was exactly what happened. I had simply walked into the Great Hall, in the middle of insulting Draco with encouragement from Blaise and Daphne, when a couple of fifth years bum rushed me.

"Is it true you're secretly a pureblood!?" One girl had asked me.

"And you're going to see who your real mum is?" A boy chimed in. My eyes widened and I immediately turned to the three people behind me.

"Mia, I would never!" Daphne cried.

"I don't know, _lucciola_, but it wasn't me." Blaise said.

"It wasn't me, Mina! Don't you dare!" Draco hissed. If they didn't say anything, than only three other people could have spread the rumour. I pushed past the group of people and stomped over to where Harry, Ron and Ginny were sitting.

"Either you three have very large mouths, or you just feel the need to tell everyone _everything_!" I yelled, glaring at them.

"Oh, now miss high-and-mighty feels she can come talk to us now." Ginny said sarcastically.

"Which one of you told!?" I hissed.

"Hermione, how do you know it wasn't someone in your little Slytherin gang?" Ron muttered. He was fiddling with his food and not making eye contact. Harry was doing to same thing.

"Boys. You know how important it was to keep this secret. I'm really hurt that you won't tell me who said something! This is family we're talking about." I said, putting a hurt look on my face. I added a little sniffle, and they broke.

"It was Gin!" Harry cried.

"She told Parkinson, who told some Hufflepuff who's like the bloody gossip fountain!" Ron finished. I turned to the redheaded girl and let out a scream.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? YOU TELL ME I SHOULD TELL YOU EVERYTHING, THEN YOU TELL EVERYONE ELSE BECAUSE WE HAD ONE LITTLE TIFF?" I yelled. I raised an arm to smack her but couldn't bring it down. I turned to see Draco holding it with a vice-like grip.

"Not here, Mina. Not now." He said. I gritted my teeth and jerked my arm out of his grip, putting it down. I turned to Ginny with a growl.

"We're not done here, not by a long shot." I said, turning on my heel and walking away, Draco, Astoria and Blaise right behind me. I had almost made it back to the Astronomy Tower when I realised I was crying. I wiped my eyes and let out a huff, leaning on a wall near me.

"What was the sense of having spies during the War when Voldemort could have just had Ginny?" I asked, which caused Draco to choke out a laugh.

"Your best friend just betrayed you, and you make a joke. You've hung out with us too much, Mia." Daphne said with a giggle, giving me a hug. I chuckled and wiped at my eyes once again.

"Of course I have. Ginny's the one running the show. Ron doesn't do anything because she's his little sister and his mum would hive him hell if she found out. Harry doesn't do anything because he loves that insane little girl." I muttered. I ran a hand through my hair and began walking to the dorms.

"Do you want me to ask the Elves to get you something?" She asked.

"No. We've got a kitchenette and haven't even used it yet." I replied.

"Psh. I've lived in my house for seventeen years and I never even stepped into the kitchen once." Draco scoffed. A slow grin crept up my face at the moment.

"Does that mean you've never tried baking before?" I asked.

"Um..no." He said uneasily. I began to giggle and Blaise glanced at Draco.

"You better run while you can, mate. Pureblood women have a thing with baking." He stated.

"We do not!" Daphne insisted. The two began to walk off and have a heated debate on what pureblood women liked and disliked.

"You're going to make me help you bake a cake, aren't you Granger?" He asked me. I grinned and clapped my hands, taking his arm and dragging him to the dorms.

* * *

_Draco's Point of View._

As soon as we got back to the dorms, Hermione immediately went to the kitchenette and pulled out random bottles and bowls and silverware. She had the most excited look on her face as she pulled her hair up out of her face.

'Come here, come here!" She urged, beckoning me over to her. I slowly walked over to her as she shoved a bowl and a spoon into my hands.

"We're going to make a sweet from scratch. Pick any recipe you want, I'll know it." She stated. I had to think about it for a second, but then it his me..

"..lemon bars." I said.

"Lemon bars? That's a first." She said.

"My mum made them when I was younger. You can try to beat them if you want." I teased. She light gaze turned steely and she nodded.

"Challenge accepted." She said. I chuckled as she grabbed more things. She snatched the bowl away from me and began measuring things out and mixing them together. Soon, she had the lemon bars on a wire rack cooling while she cleaned everything up. She had flour on her face and some lemon zest in her hair. How, I didn't know, but she did. She had just put everything away and settled on the couch when she popped up again.

"Merlin! We've got to get to the orphanage!" She exclaimed.

'We do, don't we?" I asked, already pulling out the paperwork she had stored in the library. She slipped on her shoes and I followed her out to Dumbledore's office. We headed and he seemed to be waiting for us.

"Ah, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy. I was wondering when you two would show up. Would you like to Floo or Apparate?" He asked.

'Floo. It'll be faster." Hermione said. He nodded and I looked down at the paper in her hands.

"Safe Haven Orphanage. Got it." I said. Hermione went first and I went after, taking a handful of the powder and throwing it into the fireplace. I yelled the name and stepped into the emerald flames. Hermione reached out and grabbed my shirt through the many fireplaces that were passing in and out of sight. I stumbled into her and she sucked on her teeth in a very unladylike way.

"For a pureblood, you've got very bad poise." She muttered.

"Mm-hmm. Says the pureblooded woman with zest in her hair and covered in flour." I replied, pushing her towards the bathrooms. We entered the ladies' and she stopped when she saw her reflection.

"Oh my God! Malfoy, why'd you let me leave the castle looking like this?" She exclaimed.

"Why do you think we're in here, Granger?" I muttered, taking a paper towel and running it under the tap. I wiped off her face as she took her hair down and shoot out the small bits of lemon peel in it

"This never would have happened if you'd just baked a cake when you were younger" She muttered I rolled my eyes, and added a head shake for good measure. Of course she blamed me for her mishaps. Once she deemed herself presentable, we headed to the main office of the building. There was a plaque on the door that said 'Mrs. Megan Gwynn', so I assumed she was the head director or something. Hermione snapped and she grinned a bit.

"Megan is a bit older than I am, if I remember correctly. I remember I used to have dreams about a girl with bright red hair when I was younger." She knocked on the door and a girl with bright red hair (brighter than the Weasleys') and blue eyes came out. She looked to be no older that twenty, and was shorter than both Hermione and I. She looked confused for a second, and then seemed to realise who she was looking at.

"Oh my Merlin! _H-Hermione_?" Megan asked with a small grin. Hermione smiled at her and they shared a hug.

"Hi, Megan. You've taken over now?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty much! How've you been? And who's this?" Megan asked, ushering us into her office. She sat behind her desk and we sat in front of it.

"Fine. And this is Draco Malfoy." Hermione said. I reached my hand out and shook Megan's hand.

"Ooh, a Malfoy. Are we together?" Megan asked.

"HA!" "AS IF!" We said at the same time. Megan chuckled and turned to Hermione.

"What brings you to your old orphanage?" She asked.

"A pureblood family lost a daughter around thirteen years ago, remember? Around the time I popped up?" She started. Megan's brow furrowed and she shrugged. "Well, that daughter...is me." Hermione finished.

"Damn. That's some heavy stuff. Unfortunately, I don't think it was recorded in the Prophet. You would've been three, and if anyone could hide a missing three-year-old from the Prophet, it would be a super powerful pureblood family." Megan stated. Draco let out a groan and leaned over to the two girls.

"We've got to be dealing with a Sacred family, excluding Abbott, Longbottom, Macmillan, Ollivander, Prewett and Weasley." I said.

"Sacred?" They chorused.

"The Sacred Twenty-Eight. The twenty-eight families in Britain that were still truly pureblood in the 1930's." I drawled, leaning back and using my hands to support my head.

"Wow. McGonagall was born in that decade.." Hermione murmured.

"Of course you'd know that." I replied with a grin.

"Anyways..." Megan interrupted. "So, during that time, the only super powerful pureblood families I can think of are Draco's, the Zabinis, the Parkinsons, Notts, basically any of your Slytherin pals, really." She said.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know I'm in Slytherin.." I mumbled. "Anyways, show her the papers, Granger." I said. Hermione handed over the files and the letters and Megan looked through them.

"You guys can go wander around while I talk to some of the staff. The woman before me, Tessa, still helps around. If you find her, make sure you say hi. You can't deny you weren't one of her favourites." She teased. Hermione made a noise and stood up, pulling me along with her. We walked down the halls until she found a door that lead outside. The warm Autumn sunlight poured out and almost blinded me.

"You expect me to play with children?" I asked.

"You can while I go talk to Tessa." She replied, pointing to a tiny old woman sitting on a bench, singing with some small children.

"What are they singing?" I asked as we walked closer.

"Muggle lullabies. She also makes her own." She replied.

"...was not a real sheep. But rather, just a cuddly toy-"

"She nicked from Miss Bo-Peep!" Hermione finished with a giggle. Tessa looked up and smiled warmly at her. She stood up and wrapped Hermione in a big hug. They began chatting and I wandered over to the older children. They seemed to be old enough to go to Hogwarts, but they were younger than I was.

"Oi, you're Draco Malfoy, right?" A boy asked. He looked about fifteen, and I nodded. There were two girls sitting on his left and a boy sitting on his right. They were all about the same age. The boy I was talking to was a brunette with green eyes and fair skin. The two girls were fraternal twins, one had blond hair and blue eyes while the other had black hair and grey eyes. The silent boy was raven haired with dark brown eyes.

"I'm Wyatt. What're you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm with Mina." I said, pointing to Hermione. The two girl's eyes brightened and they turned to me quickly.

"She looks like," One of them said.

"Hermione Granger." The other finished. My eyes widened and I backed away a little.

"What's wrong," "With you?" Oh. Merlin. They were doing that insane thing the Weasley twins did. I turned around and saw Hermione walking towards me.

"Mina! Help!" I called. "It's like those twins all over again!" She rushed over just as they started talking.

"The twins?" "What twins?" Hermione's eyes widened and she let out a sound of confusion.

"...what?" Was all she said.

"What are your names?" I asked.

"I'm Lux, this is Nox." The blond said.

"Oh my God. You're just the non-redhead versions of Fred and George." Hermione mumbled to herself.

"You are Hermione Granger!" Wyatt exclaimed.

"Big whoop." The quiet one finally said.

"Ooh. Someone's in a bad mood." I whispered to Hermione, who giggled.

"Are you guys dating? Because you could _totally _get disowned, man." The quiet one said again.

"I could if we were still living in the _Dark Ages_." I said sarcastically. "Besides, Mina isn't-" I was interrupted when Hermione grabbed my head, dragged me away and apparated into Megan's office. The redhead practically jumped out of her skin as Hermione yelled at me.

"You can't go around telling random children that I'm a pureblood! It's not public information yet!" She hissed.

"It might as well be, Mina! Pansy is the biggest _snitch _that has every existed! I guarantee it'll be in the Prophet tomorrow, and Skeeter's going to be down here before Wednesday!" I yelled back.

"If you two would calm down, I've got good news and bad news." Megan interrupted.

"Bad news first." Hermione said quickly.

"Bad news, not much of the older staff remembers anything about you. Good news is, I remember your adoptive mother came here with a man. I don't remember what he looks like, though." Megan said. After that, we sat in silence for a bit until I came up with an idea.

"Hey..Megan. Do you mind me rifling through your mind a bit?"

**Aaaaand, scene! Forgive me if this chapter's crappy. School starts in a week and I'm behind on everything I need. I'm ordering my bag and textbooks online, and my schedule is all wrong and just..(violently screams).**

**SO. YEAH.**

**-Xynn**


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